High amplitude sound waves are taller than low amplitude. This gives them more energy and a louder sound.

In a longitudinal wave, particles of the medium move back and forth in the same direction as the wave. Wave amplitude of a longitudinal wave is the distance between particles of the medium where it is compressed by the wave. The closer together the particles are, the greater the amplitude of the wave.

The highest surface part of a wave is called the crest, and the lowest part is the trough. The horizontal distance between two adjacent crests or troughs is known as the wavelength.

Wavelength

Wave height The vertical distance between the wave trough and the wave crest.

Wave height is the vertical distance between the crest (peak) and the trough of a wave. Some other definitions: Still-Water Line is the level of the lake surface if it were perfectly calm and flat. Crest is the highest point on the wave above the still-water line.

Wave height is affected by wind speed, wind duration (or how long the wind blows), and fetch, which is the distance over water that the wind blows in a single direction. As wind-driven waves approach the shore, friction between the sea floor and the water causes the water to form increasingly steep angles.

When the wave touches the bottom, friction causes the wave to slow down. As one wave slows down, the one behind it catches up to it, thus decreasing the wavelength. However, the wave still contains the same amount of energy, so while the wavelength decreases, the wave height increases.

While you may prefer bigger waves over smaller, you can absolutely surf 2 foot waves. Although 2 foot waves may sound tiny, they’re perfectly surfable. While big waves do a lot of the work to pull you onto the wave, you have to paddle much harder to catch small waves.

A one- or two-foot wave is usually good for one, maybe two turns.

Thus, a “3-foot” wave is roughly six feet high (in actuality an Hm0 of ~1.8 m), i.e., head-high to a 6-foot (~180 cm) person; a “2-foot” wave is roughly four feet high (Hm0 of ~1.2 m), i.e., chest-high to such a person; and a “6- to 8-foot” wave would be 2 to approaching 3 times head-high to such a person (Hm0 of ~3.5 …

However, small surf presents a few challenges for those riding shorter boards. So, to answer a common question: can you surf small waves with a shortboard? Yes, you can but it gets more difficult the smaller the wave and the shorter the board.

Good wave height for beginner surfers? Generally speaking the smaller the better — but not too small that you can’t get moving. This usually means waves in the 1.5 – 2ft range (occasionally 3ft if you’re up to it).

The trick is to stay on your toes, centered over the board, and relatively steady as you ride down the lines. Occasionally, you might find a nice section and go for a few maneuvers. Cutbacks, tail slides, and floaters are possible in a two-foot surf, but aerial moves and 360s are rare opportunities.

To get speed on a small wave you need to paddle as hard as you possibly can, take off sideways to avoid losing speed off the bottom and start pumping as hard as you can from the get-go. If you get speed from the take-off your wave is set. If you have speed you can do turns.

shortboard

Gamma Rays-have the smallest wavelengths and the most energy of any other wave in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Comparison Table Best Surfboards for Small Waves